Whats the worst aquarium product you've ever bought?

[Kribensis27]

pH up/down?

I mentioned that one. I bought it forever ago because I thought my super hard water would be harmful. Well, it made my fish sick, so I stopped using it. Eventually, I went to throw it away, but it wasn't sealed correctly. I got a small drop on an orchid leaf by accident, and it literally burned the spot on the leaf it touched. And this was a Phalaenopsis orchid, which have very thick leaves. Never going near that stuff again.

 

[CiwisAquatics]

It was gifted to me, but, even though I'm still using it, I despise the Marineland Classic 4 gallon kit. It was a pain to set up and the filter failed within the first 24 hours of it running, & there's not really anywhere to put a heater because a wire won't fit through the hole in the lid. It's also acrylic and I'm not a fan of acrylic tanks.

 

[sairving]

I mentioned that one. I bought it forever ago because I thought my super hard water would be harmful. Well, it made my fish sick, so I stopped using it. Eventually, I went to throw it away, but it wasn't sealed correctly. I got a small drop on an orchid leaf by accident, and it literally burned the spot on the leaf it touched. And this was a Phalaenopsis orchid, which have very thick leaves. Never going near that stuff again.

I have some acid buffer. My ph shoots right back up 24 hours later. I've decided its easier to use something like peat to soften the water and drop the ph a little bit.

 

[The2dCour]

I have some acid buffer. My ph shoots right back up 24 hours later. I've decided its easier to use something like peat to soften the water and drop the ph a little bit.

I feel like the alkaline buffer is more useful, as a standalone product.

 

[dwc13]

I'll go with the somewhat expensive items I bought for a planned new aquarium or project but never actually used, such as a heater and a HOB filter. Waste of money, lol. Oh, and the 10G aquarium I started out with years ago. A week later, I knew I should have gone with a 20G tank from the beginning.

 

[Catappa]

A b

Ok.

Let’s get back on track. Another product I regret buying is Superfish tanks in general. The tank lights are really bright and the lids have little filtration of air causing condensation and limescale. They always come with filters that have no media so they’re not suitable for bare-bottom tanks. In the UK Fluval has a big presence and they do much better tanks, so I regret ever using Superfish tanks instead.

Thanks for the tip about Fluval. If I ever need more small tanks, I'll look into their offerings here in Holland.

A big store here had an amazing sale with Superfish 20 liter tanks some years ago and I bought about six of them. I knew I wasn't going to use the lights and I only use simple sponge filters. I was planning to have them for types of rare little Licorice Gouramis for the Parosphromenus Project. (Small tanks were recommended for breeding -- which I didn't really agree with.) However, my health challenges made participation in the project too difficult. I kept two of the tanks downstairs for isolation tanks (one for new plants, one for new nano fish). Eventually, everything was consigned to the attic. I just brought down two and am cycling them to use for isolation tanks again. I won't use the lights, and as in the past, will only use sponge filters. They are fine for the task, but I would never keep them for permanently keeping fish and certainly not use the lights! I gave their filters away.

 

[dwc13]

Plastic plants, thank God that was a very long time ago. IMO they are a waste of money and space in a tank.

While I generally wouldn't place them in a regular tank, plastic plants can be useful in an quarantine tank to provide a hiding place for the fish. They don't require maintenance, aren't affected by meds, and won't affect the oxygen level of the water.

I did anchor a plastic floating plant when my Honey Gourami made a bubble nest to help reduce the surface current and provide shelter for the fry.

 

[DoubleDutch]

A second hand filter. Leaking from the start and an urge emerging to run the seller over when I'd see him cross the street.

 

[Msdp11009]

Interesting what is said about seachem flourish right down to the lid not sealing. I did not care for it either and thought I bought the wrong thing for my javas. Tried awuarium coops “homemade” brand, and it is worse for my javas. They melt each time I use it. I use only a small amount. Not sure what i my water Is missing for java needs. But it is something. Right now I am adding nothing. My anubias thrive regardless.
Also good to hear to avoid adding plants like moneywort

I

I’m regretting gravel. I didn’t think I’d ever get live plants, but now I have a couple. I’ve also heard that gravel isn’t smooth enough for fish. I have no desire to replace it (newly cycled tank), and no idea what I’d put in instead.

I have liked carob sea river bottom sand (large grain/ smooth minute pebble) not sure what to call it. Very sand looking , dwarf cory safe, but not as fly away as regular sand

 

[Hugooo]

I've never heard of that. Please elaborate.

Do I have a thread for you! IslandVic wrote a long, nice article about DIY media linked here. You should totally read it! (Everyone should ) It's important to have DIY media in your tank because the cartridges that come with most filters are not sufficient (by themselves) whatsoever!
--

Probably all of the spiky & neon-colored plastic plants. I have no idea what to do with them now. I can’t stand them in any enclosure, terrestrial or aquatic.

This is me with all my old non-realistic decor, I'm like, what should I do with this stuff now? I know I can find a use for it

Worst product (or products I should say) I bought were the heaps (over 60 dollars worth) of similar looking plastic plants in an effort to make an artificial aquascape when I just went ahead and made the real thing a few weeks later. Didn't realize then that I was just trying to make an aquascape without the benefits of real plants. Trust me in saying that this was one of the most illogical and stupid decisions I ever made...
Now I fear I may be a PlasticHoarder as well.

a) Use them for quarantine tanks, b) Sell them on Craigslist or whatever, or c) Donate them to schools! (or other children, or something like that) They would probably be beneficial for art classes, e.g. melting them(?) and molding them into shapes like someone said, or something else, or just decorations for classrooms in general. Any other good ideas, anyone?
^^ And that goes out to everyone that bought plastic plants and doesn't like them!
--
Anyway, do I have a bad product for y'all! It's the Imagitarium 5.2 Gallon Aquarium! I got it last April. • First of all, the filter does basically nothing. I mean it keeps it cycled, but you can literally only put a cartridge in there, and it's impossible to clean.
• The lights (LED strips) are a) Awful quality, and b) They used to have like 8 colors, but it stopped working for some reason so now it only has like 3. And just to give you a description of how bad the lights are: with them, I couldn't even keep hornwort alive! And that's like the easiest plant! Also literally moss balls didn't grow in there at all! (I bought three, two i kept in that tank, and another one I kept in another tank. Eventually I put the other two in the second tank because they weren't growing and I noticed quite a different in size. :/)
• Another thing that's so annoying abt this tank is that the edges are curvy not flat (see pic in link), so it looks really distorted and ugly.
I mean I guess this probably isn't a surprise to any of you, I'm pretty sure Imagitarium isn't a fantastic brand. But that's my review I guess. Oh, and btw, it's $50 and you can probably get a 5g tank with separate accessories for cheaper.

 

[Catappa]

I’m regretting gravel. I didn’t think I’d ever get live plants, but now I have a couple. I’ve also heard that gravel isn’t smooth enough for fish. I have no desire to replace it (newly cycled tank), and no idea what I’d put in instead.

Don't give up on gravel just yet. (I see you don't wish to replace it, but I'm putting this info here for you.) For the past ( I don't know how many, more than 10) years, I've used Dennerle Chrystal Quartz gravel and also once used their finer (smaller) Nano Shimps Gravel Bed. Both of these have rounded edges and are safe for shrimp and bottom-dwelling fish. I always get black, but they are available in other colors, including natural sand colors. I've always used these gravels with aquarium plants and dwarf shrimp and am very happy with them.

The finer gravel is much more expensive and although the black color was more intense, my budget dictates that I go with the Chrystal gravel. I use it over a substrate (also from Dennerle -- I like their Deponit products) But there are probably other companies with similar products.

 

[BlackOsprey]

The cheap HOB filters and their "disposable" cartridges. It's better than nothing I guess, but you can get such better biocapacity just from a sponge filter for the same price or even less. Also, their marketing is a scam to get people to spend cash on new cartridges, which does nothing but toss out what little bacteria you might have in there. Bad design, bad intent, bad everything really.

Also, 99.9% of all "betta aquariums," especially the ones aimed towards kids. Some of those things are so pathetically small that I'm pretty sure the fish would be happier in a plastic shoebox.

 

[sairving]

The cheap HOB filters and their "disposable" cartridges. It's better than nothing I guess, but you can get such better biocapacity just from a sponge filter for the same price or even less. Also, their marketing is a scam to get people to spend cash on new cartridges, which does nothing but toss out what little bacteria you might have in there. Bad design, bad intent, bad everything really.

When I got back into the hobby, I was annoyed at the possibility of having to use filter cartridges. Then I watched a video which basically said dump the cartridge and use your own media and sponge. I realized I didn't need the stupid cartridges.

The time before when I had a tank, I raided my parents old fishkeeping supplies (broke highschool student). I ended up using an old box filter. Now, I realize that it's the same concept as a HOB, just powered by air instead. You can put sponge, bio-media etc in it and the poop stays contained when you clean it.

 

[BlackOsprey]

Oh, wanted to add: technically, Biorb aquariums. They're expensive as all get out, the filtration is basically a glorified undergravel system, said filter requires using this chunky, rough ceramic media that can't grow plants and is kind of dangerous for small fish, and the shape makes it difficult to decorate or add extra filtration of any kind.

That's not to say it has absolutely no potential. I own one, and it's beautifully planted with low-lighters and supports a small colony of shrimp and a happy scarlet badis. It's just that I had to pitch the ceramic media in favor of aquasoil to actually get that kind of growth (and to make it safer for critters) completely negating the "filtration" that Biorb is so proud of. Basically, in order to get the most out of this product, you'll have to not use one of its big features. It certainly does not justify the price tag.

Anyways the only reason I bought mine was because it came with a free established shrimp colony that should have cost at least $100 (assuming $5 per shrimp). If you're not getting one for a very good deal or free, it's not a justifiable purchase.

 

[Msdp11009]

I

I have liked carob sea river bottom sand (large grain/ smooth minute pebble) not sure what to call it. Very sand looking , dwarf cory safe, but not as fly away as regular sand

Oops caribsea peace river. Sorry.

my worst was an aqueon filter known for being quiet and it was so loud and rattly. I couldn’t even return it

 

[Broggy]

I JUST THOUGT OF THE WORST ONE EVER.

imagiterarium (Petco's brand) sells... are you ready for this? Bottled water. its on a killer deal of $10 for 2.5 gallons. its got all the bells and whistles having been UV purified and has electrolytes for your fish. the comments are hilarious as well, they act like this water is what saved their fish's lives.

 

[Kribensis27]

I JUST THOUGT OF THE WORST ONE EVER.

imagiterarium (Petco's brand) sells... are you ready for this? Bottled water. its on a killer deal of $10 for 2.5 gallons. its got all the bells and whistles having been UV purified and has electrolytes for your fish. the comments are hilarious as well, they act like this water is what saved their fish's lives.

My neighbors used to buy that stuff for their betta vase lol

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

I JUST THOUGT OF THE WORST ONE EVER.

imagiterarium (Petco's brand) sells... are you ready for this? Bottled water. its on a killer deal of $10 for 2.5 gallons. its got all the bells and whistles having been UV purified and has electrolytes for your fish. the comments are hilarious as well, they act like this water is what saved their fish's lives.

I see this at petsmart and my lfs too. It is such a money grab, it actually makes me laugh that people buy this.

 

[Deku-Cory]

My neighbors used to buy that stuff for their betta vase lol

Imagine not wanting to buy an actual tank for your betta yet being willing to buy fancy water for it.

 

[Kjelli]

I regret buying a tetra filter and a top fin heater. You don't even know where your putting the actual temp using the dials and the tetra filter went out about 2 months after I bought it

 

[Biglog]

Replacement carbon filters for my hob...before I read about modifying them with sponges and other better media.

How do you mod them?

 

[Nopsu]

I always feel so guilty throwing literally anything made of plastic away. Of course, I can't avoid SOME plastic waste, but I try to minimize it. I can find a new purpose for almost everything, but these things just seem so useless. The lego idea is honestly the best I've got

No plastic recycling on your area? We have recycle bins for almost anything here

 

[mattgirl]

How do you mod them?

check out this thread https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfi...tream-aquaclear-and-other-hob-filters.385506/

 

[Kathylee]

How do you mod them?

For me personally, I got rid of the pre-made expensive ones & just started purchasing my own sponges & a carton of carbon. I read some cool posts on here about how to do it

 

[Masspanic]

Magnetic scrubber for the glass. Not a fan, rather just do it myself with a sponge. I’m sure there’s plenty of useless meds and chemicals I’ve bought though.

 

[Broggy]

tetra whisper filter, mine makes the most annoying sound imaginable and I want to smash it with a rock, thats what you get for buying the cheapest filter on the market

 

[CHJ]

tetra whisper filter, mine makes the most annoying sound imaginable and I want to smash it with a rock, thats what you get for buying the cheapest filter on the market

Tetra ain't what they used to be. It used to be that they were nice and cheap. When the butyl rubber diaphragms would die you went to the pet store and pulled 2 new ones of of the big in store diaphragm card, paid less than a buck for them and then rebuilt your pump for another few years.
Now they fail faster and the rebuild kit is full of unneeded parts to boost the price to the point it is as much or more than a new filter (well OK Kens is 30% less than a new filter but still..)
I'm thinking I'm going to start trying to reglue the diaphragms with tire/inner tube repair glue. I have so many loud filters many of which don't move air.

For the price I have paid on those Whispers and their repair kits I could have put a Jehmco linear air pump on each floor. Buy the good stuff once or just keep buying junk. Wish I would have done that to begin with. Heck even an Alita on each floor would have done the trick and saved me $$$

 

[sairving]

I have another one! It's a magnetic glass scrubber from PetSmart. Both sides are felt. It was absolutely useless for cleaning the glass. I still had to go in with a sponge and razor. I bought an magfloat a few weeks ago to try. That thing is amazing. Between that and a cheap toothbrush, my glass is now easy to clean.

 

[Backblast72]

I’m regretting gravel. I didn’t think I’d ever get live plants, but now I have a couple. I’ve also heard that gravel isn’t smooth enough for fish. I have no desire to replace it (newly cycled tank), and no idea what I’d put in instead.

One thing I would recommend is getting a bag of laterite and mixing it with your existing gravel. Laterite is rich in iron since is a clay base substrate which will help with your plants. You can make gravel work with your plants, some may need a little more help than others depending on the type of plants but it can be done. I had planted aquariums in the past with gravel; and remember with plants sometimes the best thing to do is to have a little bit of patience. It will go a very long way. Your plants are living organisms and will go through a period of adjustment just like any living organism.

 

[Gscribble]

One thing I would recommend is getting a bag of laterite and mixing it with your existing gravel. Laterite is rich in iron since is a clay base substrate which will help with your plants. You can make gravel work with your plants, some may need a little more help than others depending on the type of plants but it can be done. I had planted aquariums in the past with gravel; and remember with plants sometimes the best thing to do is to have a little bit of patience. It will go a very long way. Your plants are living organisms and will go through a period of adjustment just like any living organism.

Thanks, I’ll look into that. So far my Anubias nana is all I’ve been able to keep alive, although I’m going to try adding some corkscrew Val tonight. I’m also looking into getting more Anubias varieties, since I’ve been able to keep that one alive. Substrate isn’t my only problem though. I have a hex tank, so I’m sure they aren’t getting enough light. I picked up a small tank that I’d like to make a shrimp tank eventually, and was looking up substrates again today lol.

 

[Crimson_687]

"Ammonia remover" and "water clarifier". Wasn't until I did research and learned about the nitrogen cycle that I realized these were absolutely useless.

 

[HupGupp]

Yeah, buying the popular brand of filters when we set up our first tanks - the Aqueon HOB Whisper models with replaceable cartridges. Did some reading here recently which put me on the Aqua Clear filter and when I got it I was surprised to realize it is exactly the same filter my brother had on his tank when we were kids. Pretty much unchanged in 40 years. I guess when you have a good design, you stick with it.

 

[Backblast72]

Thanks, I’ll look into that. So far my Anubias nana is all I’ve been able to keep alive, although I’m going to try adding some corkscrew Val tonight. I’m also looking into getting more Anubias varieties, since I’ve been able to keep that one alive. Substrate isn’t my only problem though. I have a hex tank, so I’m sure they aren’t getting enough light. I picked up a small tank that I’d like to make a shrimp tank eventually, and was looking up substrates again today lol.

If you have a low intensity light the growth of your plants will be slow. Anubias by nature are slow growing plants which assimilate their nutrients from the water column (75%) and (25%) through their roots. Also, if you have no carbon dioxide then I would recommend to look into NilocG’s Thrive C liquid fertilizer. It’s a version of their all purpose fertilizer for low tech tanks. (Low lights and no CO2). Your plants will love it and they will grow like crazy.

 

[TheBettaBabe]

Oh heck, those STUPID cheap "fish flakes". When I started keeping fish when I was 10 years old I didn't know how bad those brands were. They have bad ingredients, bad odors, they gunk up the tanks and make your fish poop a LOT. Never. Purchasing. Again.

 

[BigFish99]

sunsun 304b canister filter. Leaked everywhere, parts not very high quality.

 

[Linda1234]

caribsea eco-complete. For a 'plant' substrate it is miserable to work with since it is way too coarse.

caribsea moonlight: I love the powder stuff but i frequently get tank meltdown because it is too fine to breath.

 

[ProudPapa]

Magnetic scrubber for the glass. Not a fan, rather just do it myself with a sponge. I’m sure there’s plenty of useless meds and chemicals I’ve bought though.

I bought one of those too. It works fair, until you get down near the bottom. I haven't found a way to clean right down to the substrate without disturbing the substrate more than I want to. I prefer the razor blade type scrapers with the long handle to keep your hand out of the water.

 

[bumblinBee]

Non-adjustable heaters. I've done this twice now, and it was stupid decision both times. The tanks always ran freezing cold - they were never able to heat the space they claimed the could, and there was nothing I could do to fix it besides purchasing a new heater. Adjustable heaters ALL the way.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Tetra Safestart.

 

[connorjs1004]

You just need coarser sand like pool filter sand.

What brand do you recommend?

 

[Lucy]

Hmm, worst is pretty strong. I've bought a lot of stuff I didn't care for, need or didn't work.
Worse implies that when something was used the worst thing ever has happened.

With that in mind I'd have to say the visi-therm sleath heater 10 years ago. They were great for years then they started to over heat, fish tanks exploded and fish were cooked, including mine.

 

[foxrain4]

"Silent" filters.
Basically I guess in my bedroom, at night when windows and door are closed, the echo increases heavily so all sounds are amplified, including silent filter, I am still waiting for my submerged filter, hope it will be quiet.

The sound problem is easily solved by off the filter at night until I googled that the aerobic bacteria will die without water movements and floods of ammonia will leak into my fish tank.

 

[HupGupp]

"Silent" filters.
Basically I guess in my bedroom, at night when windows and door are closed, the echo increases heavily so all sounds are amplified, including silent filter, I am still waiting for my submerged filter, hope it will be quiet.

The sound problem is easily solved by off the filter at night until I googled that the aerobic bacteria will die without water movements and floods of ammonia will leak into my fish tank.

Have you tried cancelling the sound with some white noise? Works for me.

 

[foxrain4]

Have you tried cancelling the sound with some white noise? Works for me.

If you are talking about the fan, I actually off my fan at night long ago because it is too loud.
Either I am special sensitive to sound or the echo in my house is loudly amplified which my family explained the same too.

 

[BlackOsprey]

Very noisy air filters. I can deal with the sound of typical HOBs and water pumps, but something about that low, droning BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ really irritates me. I'm not even very sensitive about white or droning noises normally 'cause they help me ignore tinnitus.

Also, if "product" includes aquariums themselves, my Biorb is the worst. Its potential is limited, it's impractical, and it's overpriced.

There's just not an awful lot you can do with a 3 gallon fishbowl. Even if you give it extra filtration with a canister filter (WHY?) you simply do not have the space for much more than shrimp, snails, or maybe a very small and solitary nano fish.

Just about everything about its design is impractical or questionable. It's very difficult to put anything in the bowl on account of its rather small opening. It's hard to hit a heater in there, and impossible to keep it in place because curved acrylic isn't good for suction cups.
The built-in filtration system is basically an air-driven undergravel filter that also has a very thin sponge where the water comes out, and it doesn't actually work as intended if you use any other substrate besides the chunky ceramic media that's included. Said ceramic is kind of ugly, shows algae growth easily, and is completely inhospitable for most plants. Which, ya know, are almost necessary for a shrimp tank.

And finally, a 3 gallon biorb costs $90 and includes the ugly substrate, a weak filter, a light and lid, and an air pump. If you want to use it as a planted tank, the substrate and filter are basically worthless.
I could use that same amount of money to build a 10 gallon planted tank complete with sponge filter, heater, and good substrate.

Thing is, I don't regret my purchase at all because I got mine used on discount, with 2 dozen cherry shrimp included for free. After I trashed the ceramic, I managed to turn it into one of my favorite planted low-tech aquascapes. The light that was included is actually perfectly capable of growing a variety of low/med-low light plants.
Objectively speaking though, unless it also couldn't hold water, it's hard to find a worse aquarium than this!

 

[86 ssinit]

Eco-compleat!! Useless! After 2 yrs it is now filling a gofer hole.

 

[A201]

In the late 1980's I kept Discus. Many of the Discus were wild caught. I tried to replicate their natural water conditions using a PH down product & Tetra's Black Water Extract.
The PH down product was worthless. Constant & swift PH rebounds. The introduction of Malaysian driftwood into the tank quickly took the place of the expensive Black Water Extract.
IMO, both products are a waste of money.

 

[Brizburk]

Cheap heater from Walmart........ ugh.

 

[bumblinBee]

In the late 1980's I kept Discus. Many of the Discus were wild caught. I tried to replicate their natural water conditions using a PH down product & Tetra's Black Water Extract.
The PH down product was worthless. Constant & swift PH rebounds. The introduction of Malaysian driftwood into the tank quickly took the place of the expensive Black Water Extract.
IMO, both products are a waste of money.

I don't have much experience with pH altering products, but I can big time agree with you on the black water extract. It barely tints the water and is so expensive for what it is - there are so many more interesting and affordable ways to add tannins to your water. Was a waste of money on my part too, not going to be buying that again haha.

 

[CHJ]

Eco-compleat!! Useless! After 2 yrs it is now filling a gofer hole.

Weird. Mine made my plants grow with a mighty anger for years and years. Now it is not doing much but for a long time swords grew quick over running their tanks.

What brand do you recommend?

I like "Giant cheap sack from the hardware store" brand pool filter sand.